Only Madness
by MeliRenee1234
Summary: Jerome Valeska dead? Of course not! and he has proven to reveal this to non other then to seventeen year old Harleen Quinzel, or her cover up Harley Quinn, who after their first meeting on the rooftop of a ten story building, leaves Jerome wondering who this mystery girl is, he's determined to find her, because she just might be his missing piece...of insanity.
1. Harleen Quinzel

Nobody had expected the mayor's son; to bring along a mysterious guest to their annual Masquerade Ball, and nobody had expected it to be a beautiful blonde girl with an innocent smile; and nobody at Gotham City Prep had expected quiet young Harleen Quinzel to be the mystery girl brought along by Aubrey James' son: Ian James.

Ian James was every teenaged girls dream guy, how he managed to get swept away by the loner Harleen Quinzel, is still a mystery to us all. But he graced the ballroom with seventeen year old Harleen, at his side, getting a lot of attention no doubt. Harleen wasn't one for the spotlight, not like Ian; he'd grown up with it, being the mayor's son and all, but he gave her a reassuring smile and held her hand tight.

She looked beautiful in her red dress, stopping just at the knee, her black heels added a few inches, and her black masque made the blue in her eyes pop, and her wavy hair fell in just the right places, that made her look like a model.

At exactly eight: forty-five Harleen excused herself to use the ladies room, but she never made it there. Instead she made her way to the elevator, making herself casually unseen, smiling at people who waved, being modest about her presence, the elevator opened and she stepped in, pushing the button that read _10_ , the top floor, like she had expected totally deserted. She made her way down to the woman's bathroom at the end of the hall, but not to relieve herself. She walked over to the last stall with an out of order sign on it, opened it and stepped inside, behind the toilet in a waterproof plastic bag laid the secret to Harleen Quinzel. She opened the bag, pulled out her thigh high boots and exchanging them for the heels, a little unseen button on the back of her dress would turn the skirt of her dress into an alternating black and red pattern, pulled on a black leather vest and lastly pulled on one red leather glove and one black. She stashed the rest of her things back behind the toilet and stepped out of the stall, looking in the mirror she couldn't help but thinking how a quick change of costume made her look like a completely different character, she game a quick smile, before pulling her hair back, and waltzing out of the ladies restroom and back to the elevator, and hitting the button that read _roof._

She walked out onto the windy rooftop awaiting the arrival of an unknown person, she had been given a note saying to meet here, and the note was addressed to Harley Quinn. After about ten minutes she heard a ding from the elevator, thinking it was the mystery note person, she became nervous and hid in the shadows, she heard an odd but familiar laugh "Lexy, come out come out wherever you are." Another laugh, she knew whoever this person was, was not the one who sent the note. Becoming frightened Harleen tried to sneak out the door to the staircase but when she reached for the door the figure had made it there, a sharp laugh and a "You're not Lex Luther." A strange pause and the character stepped into the light, he had red hair, and was dressed in a purple and green suit, and a mask over his eyes.

"Ahhh, I see." He laughed "You're the newest recruitment." He was walking around now looking a little upset. "Oh you don't know why you're here? You just got a note saying to meet here, probably to dress in a ridiculous disguise, although I must say yours is by far the best I've ever seen" he looked Harley up and down with an evil smile "and now you're waiting here, waiting for Lex Luther himself to add you into the Secret Society. HA!" he laughed, then continued "and you know what bothers me about this so much?" he paused "they won't let me in!" he threw his hands up in the air exasperated "and so now I have to kill you."

"What?" she asked, a little terrified.

"I know this isn't your fault, hey you got some skill, but I have vowed to kill their recruits so they don't have any new members, well that is until they let me join." He smiled. Then stepped forward getting close into her face, looking into her eyes, "it's a shame I have to kill you. Although I might add your eyes are _very_ familiar…have we met before?"

"I, uh, I don't know." Harley let out shakenly.

"Hmm" he tapped his face. He started fumbling with his mask and then tore it off, annoyed with it. And then Harley knew who he was and why his laugh had been recognizable.

She caught her breath, and then quietly added "Jerome Valeska" he smiled and laughed at this. "Oh so we have met… I knew your pretty blue eyes weren't mistakable, so tell me _gorgeous_ … what _is_ your name?"

She was afraid to tell him her name, but more afraid to not answer she blurted out her cover name " _Harley Quinn_."

He turned to look at her as though in thought, "nope doesn't ring a bell."

"But you're supposed to be dead!"

"Funny thing death, guess this one time I outsmarted it" he laughed evilly.

The bell tower rang in the distance and she knew she had been gone too long from the ball and the person who wrote the note wasn't coming. She had to get out of there alive, so she put on her cunning smile and her wit, and made the attempt at a getaway, "I guess you're going to kill me now." There was a special look in her eye.

He stepped closer to her contemplating it in his head, "I was only joking, I like a good laugh."

"Might as well call you _the Joker_ "

His face was inches from her face, the town bells rang again, she needed to leave now. Placing her hand on his stomach she pushed him back, staying very close until he was leaning up against the ledge, the final bell had rang and Harley Quinn had planted a soft, lingering kiss on Jerome's lips, and then whispered, lips barely touching "Until we meet again, Joker." Walking to the elevator she pushed the down button, stepped inside and pressed _10,_ just as the doors were closing Jerome came running, fire in his eyes and a playful smile on his face. She began rapidly pushing the button and was successful to have the doors close before he could get to her. A faint "I will find you Harley Quinn!" was heard but she couldn't help but be relived she had made it out alive. When she reached the tenth floor she ran down the hall to the woman's bathroom to retrieve her cloths she was going to swap out. She grabbed the bag and ran back to the elevator without changing, down the hall she could hear running and caught a slight glimpse of Jerome sprinting down the hall just as the door to the elevator opened. Pushing the button for the first floor rapidly, they started to close just in time to see Jerome "Harley!" he yelled. She blew him a kiss and gave a wink just as the doors shut.

She gave herself two seconds to catch her breath then made the switch back into Harleen Quinzel. Pulling off her boots and puting on her heels, switching her skirt, removing the gloves, and letting her hair fall down her back, she had no choice but to leave her stuff in here, if she carried them around Jerome would spot her, not to mention get a few off looks from other guest. She stuffed the cloths in a corner as the door to the first floor opened, quickly sneaking out and ducking so she wouldn't be seen; she weaved her way back into the ball room and into Ian James' arms.

"What took you so long? Is everything okay?" he asked her concerned.

"Fine, everything's fine." She said with a reassuring smile, "Let's dance."

She hid out of sight of Jerome in fear he would spot her even with an outfit change, when they were dancing she saw the Purple and Green of the suit passing by, noticed he had retrieved his mask, but hid her face in Ian's chest, thinking and hoping that would be the last time Harley Quinn would meet the Joker. But that was naive on her part, because as we all soon will know, that was only the beginning.


	2. Arkham Asylum

One Year Ago

"Today ladies you will be starting your first internship that will hopefully land you a job in the field you so desperately want." Ms. Grouch, the schools Carrier and Counseling Guide, said in a monotoned voice as she look over the group of girls gushing together about where they hoped to be "as you know, when you have been assigned you will go with your advisor to your training post to wherever it is you have found yourself landing, okay let's begin: Sarah Godfrey, GCPD..." Sarah made her way giddily over to the officer who had volunteered to be the incoming interns advisor, ever since we had career day back in first grade when the Police officer had talked to us about the GCPD, Sarah had her heart set on it, "...Jessica Gallagher, Gotham City Memorial Hospital, Elisia Burns GC preschool academy, Harleen Quinzel..." I felt nervous when my name was said, I wanted to study psychology and hoped to get an internship for Dr. Mark Fitz, who was the best Psychiatrist in all of Gotham city, "... Arkham Asylum." Okay that's it, everyone to there Advisors, remember this is also a grade for your Career class."

There must have been some mistake I wanted to help people, not work with a bunch of criminally insane people, so I did the only thing I could do;

"Mrs. Grouch, I think their was a mistake I'm suppose to work for Dr. Fitz, not in a criminal looney bin-"

"Miss. Quinzel, you are an intern, you want a degree in Psycology, this is a mental institution, that has some of the best doctors around, what better place to learn than from an asylum itself."

"Yes, but... It's for criminals, murderers.."

"Then that means you will have worked with the best, now hurry along you don't want to be late on your first day."

••••••••••

"Now we're going to start you off easy, in the children's ward."

"Children's ward? You mean there are children who have committed crimes already?" I said disbelieving.

Oscar, my advisor laughed, "No, while most the residents at Arkham, are criminally insane, the children's ward is separated from the rest of the asylum, and features kids who need help adjusting to the situations they will have to deal with, children who have faced abuse, or witnessed traumatic situations, and so on and so forth, it's mostly to help them recover and to live a normal life as possible in the future, and if we see you have progressed you can move up in your study."

I sighed with a relief, "Isn't it dangerous to keep kids this close to the other patients?"

"It's part of Arkham but the children's ward itself is separated from the main building and is secure so that if something were to happen and a patient did get out from the main building no harm would come to the kids. Now if you'll follow me I'll give you a quick tour and then you can get to work with your first task."

•••

After he showed me all around Arkham, I got to work sorting files in correct folders, and making sure they actually belonged here, it wasn't until I came across a worn out folder that didn't match, I became curious, I checked the books and the patient wasn't in the children's ward, anymore.

"Uhh, hey Oscar?"

"Yes?" Oscar said looking over from his computer screen

"There's a file for a patient that's not on record um.." I searched for the name" last name Valeska?"

"Oh, yes Valaska, he's actually in the main building, came here when he was a kid then released than ended back in the looney bin, Alesha's probably looking for it, just got re submitted after killing his mom, such an offense they skipped the children's ward put it way up with the big guys, yeah I'll call over and tell Alesha your coming. You don't mind taking it up to her, do you?"

"I'm in it." I said with a smile.

"Wait take this, the wardens won't let you in without it." He tossed me a badge that read intern, advisor Oscar DelaBanc.

I walked outside to the building across the strip of grass, that was fenced it, showed the receptionist my badge and she pushed he buzzer and let me in. Walking up four flights of stairs to the floor the office stood on, unlucky for me you had to go through the lunchroom on the other side to get to Alesha's office.

Although the patients stayed behind bars in their black and white striped suits, I felt uneasy as every eye became on me when the door screeched open.

Vulgar comments were thrown from men's lips as I walked through the hallway to the offices, some came to the bars reaching out their hands others looked like they didn't know what was happening, a girl screamed at one of the men who was teaching his hand out to try to grab me.

"Harleen?" The voice that said my name I didn't recognize, in fact it scared me that someone in here knew my name.

I turned to look in the direction of the voice, it was Barbra Kean, she use to work for my father.

She was sitting at a table with other inmates who seemed less deranged as the rest, in fact they only looked at me when Barbra spoke a second time.

"Who would have thought?" Barbra laughed, almost amazed. "Don't tell me daddy's little darling is being admitted into Arkham? It always is the quiet innocent ones."

At this a red headed boy turned around and gave an evil smirk

"Actually I'm interning," I said hesitantly, trying to avoid the eye contact the red head was trying so hard to make.

"Figures. Well it good to see an old face." She said it as if she had gone away on a trip and ran into a long lost friend, as if she hadn't killed people, as if she was sane, as if noting hooked.

"It's good to see a pretty face." The red head boy spoke, I don't know what it was but I didn't like the idea of him thinking I was pretty, I don't like the way he looked at me, I honestly didn't like being the center of his attention so I gave a half smile and continued on through the door to the office, scared beyond belief to go back through again.


	3. Fate

"We'll you have done amazing, the children here love you, I'd love to keep you here but I must move you up to the main Arkham building. I will no longer be your advisor but Sandra Pane, the warden over the criminally insane ward will be, and I think she might even let you sit in on a few sessions with the patients."

We walked to the cold tall stone building, walking up to the top floor, as my new advisor waited, hair pulled back tight, her face like stone, and her stance in a demeanor that made even the worst villain cringe.

"Miss. Quinzel?" she asked her voice deep with hatred and power, "you're late, follow me."

I waved goodbye to Oscar as I followed the fast paste warden down the long concrete hall.

"As you know the main building at Arkham follows those who are criminally insane, killing with pleasure, manipulating as a game, and bringing people to their level with them."

"What do you mean by _bringing people to their level_?"

"they are very persuasive, they will make you question just how insane they are, some will succeed in looking so sane you'll question if their story on why they're actually just a normal joe like you and me, is real, don't. Today you will be having a one on one session with-"

"One on one? But I'm an intern, I don't have a degree or… isn't that illegal?

"You are not diagnosing the patient, but you have to learn somehow don't you?"

"I just figured I'd be observing other staff, which has done it because I have no clue what I'm supposed to do."

"Here is a starter guide, just some basic questions," she handed her a clipboard with the starter guide questions, "the patient who you'll have a session with serves no real threat, he's easy, and it's a starter." She handed her a file." But do be careful because he is a charmer and will say anything to get any type of reaction from you."

Opening the file she read the name _Valeska, Jerome._

"Room 103, he's waiting."

"Hello, Mr. Valeska-"

"Jerome." The red head corrected, he hadn't bothered to look up at all since I walked in.

"Today, uh, we're going to do a quick psychiatric evaluation," she read word for word of the clipboard.

"It's you." The voice said, looking up from the clipboard, she saw the red head was looking at her, taking her all in, and she suddenly felt cold and exposed, and wished the cop that brought him in had stayed.

"Okay, uh, to get started, I'm going to ask you a few questions."

But before she could ask Jerome had started "have you ever had a really bad day?"

"Uh, I guess, why?"

"You psychiatric people should know there's nothing worse than a memory. The pointy, little thunderbolts, unwanted party crashers, screamers who interrupt your speech, these unescapable, unrelenting, not at all friendly, memories… and then you meet this person who just changes your life, and it's like you don't even know who you are anymore.

"It's funny how one little encounter can leave off little pieces of your past; deform your memories and persona, until you rethink your whole identity… and as you realized how foolish it all is…your laughter reverberates off the walls of your emptiness."

"Uhh… okay I'm going to need you to be more specific… how about I say a word and you say what comes to mind."

Looking at the list she read the first word "acceptance"

He laughed "my favorite stage."

"Okay, uh," she scanned the list, "Fate"

"I use to think it unfair and evil, you know that something is already prearranged to happen, although recently I find my thought on fate have changed."

"How so?"

"Have you ever thought that everything in your entire life has been leading up to this one moment?"

"Is that how you feel?"

"Well now yes, after all the bad days…it was all at the hand of fate, at work."

"So now you see fate differently?"

"Absolutely. Now I fully understand. There were no chances encounters, it was all meant to happen, everything leading up to who I've met today."

"So you've met someone special?"

"Yes, and you might say it changes _everything_."

"Everything?"

"Absolutely, I mean do you realize what a vile word we live in? How lonely it is to go through all the vile and filth on your own?"

"It is kind of lonely, isn't it?"

"Of course! You understand! Even in the crowd of other screwballs, you're so alone that you kick, claw, scream at the top of your lungs, and no one cares. It's like you don't even exist. Sometimes I feel like I'm on this path leading to nowhere…into emptiness… but now I feel like I've got someone on my side, who I can share this journey with."

"And how does that make you feel?"

"I feel like someone pulled the stopper out of the drain and I'm floating adrift and it's all new and quite exciting actually. You wouldn't know what that feels like I'm sure."

"I might, can you tell me more about how this person makes you feel?"

"It's like meeting someone I can actually relate to, which believe me dear, I've never felt before." He laughed.

"Do you mind if I ask who this person is?"

"Someone very special, but has a name I don't even know yet!" He was staring at her now, "tell me what your name is?"

"Uh, Harleen. Harleen Quinzel."

"Do your friends ever call you Harley?"

"Uh, no, well I don't have a lot of friends."

"Well Harley, you've got one now."


End file.
